I COULDN'T DOP IT OUT T HERE is an Italian clam-broth house on River Street in Hoboken, across from the piers and a couple of blocks from the Lackawanna ferry shed, called the My Blue Heaven Café & Restaurant. All the meals I ever had there were wonderful. One summer I came back from Copenhagen on a flog Island freighter and the food was bad, and when she finally docked in Hoboken the first eating place I saw was the My Blue Heaven; I spent the afternoon there, eating veal and peppers. Since then I have gone back occasionally. One Sunday not long ago I woke up in the 111iddle of the morning. It was a beau- tiful day and I decided to take a ferry over to Hoboken and have lunch in the My Blue Heaven. When I arrived at the place around noon, Paulie, the bartender, was sleep- il y polishing glasses. A grouchy dock superintendent named Chris, who hangs out there, was sitting at a front ta- ble drinking Dutch beer and reading a Newark Sunday paper. U do, the cook, and a waiter named Vinnie were at a table in the rear, opposite the door to the kitchen. U do was drinking coffee and Vinnie was feeding free-lunch liver- wurst to the kitchen cat. I sat down with Chris. While I had lunch, he scornfully read aloud a story in the New- ark paper speculating on a fight be- tween Joe Louis and "Two Ton" Ton) Galento, the screwy, bulbous New Jer- sey heavyweight. Paulie stopped polish- ing glasses and came over to our table '- <...J and we got into a discussion about Ga- lento. While we were talking, a man and woman came in. She was good-look- ing but nothing extra. He was a stout, gloomy little man. In the front of the My Blue Heaven are two small tables pushed close together so the sun coming in <...J through the window will strike them. Chris, Paulie, and I were sitting at one of them. The newcom- ers sat down right across from us at the other sun- ny table. Vinnie came out of the kitchen, bringing them menus and glasses of water. \'Tithout looking at the menu or at Vinnie, the Inan ordered a hot roast-beef sandwich. He had a Herald Tribune and he slipped out the news and sports and tossed the other sections on a stand back of his chair, on which stacks of napkins are kept. He didn't pay any attention to the W0t11an, hut let her order for herself. She studied the menu quite a while be- fore she made up her mind. "Charlie," she said when the waiter had gone, "1 want to see the magazine " I " sectIon, pease. He was reading the sports. He didn't look up when she spoke, but motioned with his head in the direction of the nap- , kIn stand behind him. She stared at him, Ii \vaiting to see if he would get the paper for her. Then she stood up, walked around to the stand, and got it herself. ',:, At our table we resumed the discussion about Galento. "Galento won't take things serious," Paulie said. "He thinks it's funny to train on heer and hot dogs. If he'd quit booz- ing around and really train, he could take Joe Louis." "Nuts! " said Chris. "It would be like dropping a safe on his head. It would be m urde r. " There were two big photographs of Louis and Galento in the Newark paper. Chris had the page spread out on the table. Paulie bent over and studied the photograph of Galento. "He looks like a tough man to shave," he said. "He just looks tough," said Chris. "There wouldn't be any sense to a fight like that. It would be first-degree mur- der. Tony couldn't take Joe if Joe was tied up hands and feet and Tony was fighting with a baseball bat." The man with the woman stopped reading. He turned around in his chair and looked at Chris. He appeared to be .... annoyed. "\Vhat makes you so sure about :::;::' everything?" he asked Chris. "Beg your pardon?" said Chris, sur-} prised. "\Vhat makes' you so sure it would be murder?" he asked. "Are you a big fight expert or .. something? " The woman grabbed :;:;: him by the wrist. "Charlie," she said." "Please, for my sake." " S1 " d " h 1ut up, stUPI, e sai d. He pulled his hand away,:" Gtt and turned again to '} Chris. "You think you're an expert?" he asked. "My friend," said Chris, "I think .. Galento is a bum. If it's anything to " you. "An expert," said the man. "My friend," said Chris, "do you happen to know what Tommy Lough- 43 t .. WH STAG p9;; .While magi ): . "'.... '''. J-/ . i'J^ pzt. . t : "r _ ',\'-;.,:;-1, .: \. w "k' ""- 'ft '1- :>,J" "" 1i,:" ># 1 J, ' }!:,:,'. "'\ r:: . ,; '''J ' . " ,,- W , " \ .< '. 'è I <, \' ' ..\, . 'i%; ..",,,,;...,,,... ,( ::,. 't . ":l" , 1 ;f'::::,:",. .....: -,-::'; i=$...\ Ø$*". ,<:-' "', ,ifu ? l ., .:\ , l ' l : ! ,:...' ., )i t' ' \.: .. ' :" "t;:/:" '"tjl:,, , i.'" ....-<- ., ,(' J .. .,W "\:. /.< ". . \: "',,\: \, \ ::1: " ""'..",.... i::,: . . ...:....... .:..::.....;":..;:: .: ,:,:/f:::;;, :" ':". J'; ".- .' 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